BALTIMORE — Some vacant homes in one South Baltimore neighborhood are being turned into affordable housing.
The South Baltimore Community Land Trust bought four condemned houses at auction. They're renovating the homes through their homeownership program for first-time homebuyers.
“We are taking people from the neighborhood that are currently renting and sometimes paying much more than 30 percent of their income, and giving them an opportunity for homeownership,” says Dr. Meleny Thomas, executive director of development for the South Baltimore Community Land Trust.
WMAR 2 News was here seven years ago on July 3, 2017, when these homes were destroyed by fire in the 1600 block of Hazel Avenue in Curtis Bay. After the fire, the gutted homes were abandoned by the owners. Now four of those rowhouses are being brought back to life and will soon go to new homeowners.
Sherry Gudger came to look. She's been in the homeownership program for a year.
“Being a homeowner is something that I’ve always wanted,” Gudger says. “That was one of my goals that I wanted, you know. I just feel like I’m a little bit closer to achieving it going through this program.”
Gudger is a single mom of an eight-year-old boy. Through the program, she's working on rebuilding her credit, and learning how to grow her savings.
“We're renting currently right now,” she says, “but the goal is that once I leave from the current rental spot that I’m in, that I will be going into my own home.”
This is the first house the land trust has renovated for sale. It will be listed soon for anyone to buy, with an important catch.
The buyer will be required to complete the homeownership program if they haven't already.
Thomas says that takes about three to five months, depending on the person's involvement in the program and their readiness to qualify for a mortgage.
For more information or to apply for the program, go here.
